Pointing at squirrels

Pointing at squirrels
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

Penny is very prey-oriented. Very squirrelly! We often go for walks and she will either see or smell a squirrel and freeze instantly. Her body goes taunt and she'll point every now and then with her left paw. One day, I stood for about 10 minutes in the neighborhood whilst she pointed at a squirrel munching on who knows what on the lawn about 20 feet from her.

She also has some outstanding eye sight and can pick a squirrel out in the trees from a tenth of a mile or further.

Unfortunately, she also hunts while walking, so she doesn't always listen or pay attention to me. She also doesn't care to work on training for the electric fence - instead she looks across the yard over the warning flag - for squirrels in trees.

Daisy and Penny

Daisy and Penny
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

Penny has a doggie friend (unfortunately, not Thomas). Penny loves to romp with Daisy, a friend's dog. They body slam each other, try to bite each other's collar, and create mayhem wherever they go.

Penny playing ball

Penny playing ball
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

The weather has turned much colder now and we are playing inside a lot more. Thomas and Penny aren't playing together very often, so we try and keep her entertained as much as possible. Here is another picture of her playing ball.

I didn't have the chance to catch Penny playing with Daisy, a friend's dog, yesterday in the living room. Penny was quite energetic, hip checking Daisy and trying to bite her collar.

Penny playing ball

Penny playing ball
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

We found out Penny likes to play ball inside instead of outside (less distractions like squirrels and bunnies). She does a pretty good job of being a goal tender inside. Please note Thomas' lack of interest in the background.

Yet another shot of her sleeping

Penny
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

Really, she does more than just sleep in her (or Thomas') bed. She's just soooo cute when she is sleeping, though.

No thanks, I don't want to play ball right now

Penny
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

Penny's persona has continued to evolve. She's started to play with our friend's dog (Daisy) and has even romped once or twice with Thomas. But in this picture, she was watching Thomas and Daisy playing ball in our front yard. We tried to get her to play ball with them, but she sat there and watched.

I should also mention she is VERY prey oriented! Squirrels, chipmunks, birds, rabbits, and cats - watch out! There is a new sheriff in town.

Monitoring the yard for squirrels

Thomas and Penny
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

I managed to catch Thomas and Penny side by side looking out the front door the same day they were snoozing next to one another. Thomas wouldn't typically let Penny sit next to him, but this was different. Maybe because they were chasing a squirrel earlier in the morning ... but Thomas didn't really care that she was there by his side. Maybe his is relenting a bit in his old age.

Thomas and Penny

Thomas and Penny
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

We turned the page of the calender and caught Thomas (right) and Penny (left) nearly head to head relaxing and dozing on their doggie beds. Quite an accomplishment considering Thomas doesn't really want anything to do with Penny. But this time, there was the lack of the sideways glances and low, rumbling growl that emanates from one of them when the other encroaches upon their bed or toy.

Penny and Cuke

Penny and Cuke
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

See - as if you didn't believe me - she LOVES cucumbers. I can't even get her to play ball anymore. Thank God the semi-ferile cat that has adopted our neighbors (Angel) doesn't smell or taste like a cucumber.

Sleeping Penny

Sleeping Penny
Originally uploaded by dhoopercu

Here she is, asleep and not eating cucumbers or shoes. She has learned to steal cucumbers directly from the vine. I caught her this morning running around the back of the house to the garden to explore, and porbably grab, a fresh cucumber from the vine. I hope she doesn't go for eggplants or tomatoes - then we are going to erect the rabbit/deer/Penny fence.

Update

So - she's on a course of antibiotics right now. It may be a bit overreactive; however, the vet decided to err on the side of caution. Plus, the antibiotics are helping reduce any inflammation within her intestinal tract.

She weighs around 42 pounds, and is in good health. Nothing significantly amiss with her, just a few loose stools. Good BM the next day (figures).

What else - she went to the local town's gazebo and outdoor concert and did OK. She relaxed in the grass after calming down a bit. At first, she didn't know why all of the humans around her were clapping, and where the annoying racket (otherwise known as 'music') was originating. After a little bit, she calmed down. Thomas was loving life - rolling in the grass, going for a walk so he could hunt in the ivy and ground cover next to City Hall, and just being the center of attention. There must have been 15 kids that came up to him and wanted to pet him. Penny even got some attention, and for the most part seemed to enjoy being petted. The only time I was a bit apprehensive was when she was surrounded by 4 kids that wanted to pet her at once. I told the kids she was a bit nervous and probably needed a bit of space. Granted, I was probably talking about me more than her. Overall, she did a good job and didn't even vomit in the car!

This morning both dogs were full of energy. It seems as though the cooler weather has invigorated and awakened their senses. Penny has more life when walking - her body english is more aware and interactive than when we started walking. She keeps trying to play with a neighborhood cat (named Angel). The cat doesn't really mind her and Thomas, who can't decide whether the cat is something to hunt or play with. Both dogs sniff the cat, but Penny bounces to and fro next to the cat while Thomas sniffs away. He probably wants Angel to run so he can chase her, but she just purrs and rubs herself on my shins without caring about Thomas and Penny.

Till next time (and she needs to get used to the sound of a camera) ...

Off to the doctor this morning

Over the weekend, Penny seemed to be a different dog: she didn't have as much of an appetite, was a bit lethargic or melancholy, and had loose stool. Naturally, I visited my parents in PA leaving Maggie to watch the kids (Penny and Thomas) - so I attributed her symptoms to separation anxiety from me. Maggie really wasn't receptive to that idea.

She had another loose stool this morning, but it had more "substance" to it than previous ones. Last night, she was romping through the yard playing with me and a tennis ball. I didn't notice any perceptive change in her demeanor and she ate her dinner with abandon. Maybe the heat was getting to her?

Anywho - we'll keep those that follow the blog and her adventures informed of what we hear this morning. Hopefully, it's nothing other than a bit of stress.

Cucumber? Oh ... CUCUMBER!!!

Penny has progressed from romping with a tennis ball to finding cucumbers recently picked from the garden. Last night, she made off with a cucumber and was running around with the cuke stuck out of both sides of her mouth. She would drop the cucumber, pounce on it, and throw it into the air. Too bad she is not as much of a camera hog that Thomas is.

Ball? Oh...BALL!!!!

So cute today!!! Penny was playing ball in the front yard-by herself...she doesn't enjoy having the ball thrown to the other end of the yard like Thomas does.She is more content to pick it up and drop it, pounce on it at her own leisure... so funny!

Drooly P

Since Penny's first shopping trip with Thomas and I to Broad Ripple went so well on Friday (minimal drool), Dave and I took her shopping for a larger crate on Saturday-mistake. We met the Drool Monster! And she upchucked-twice! SO Saturday night and Sunday were much more low key than the first two days for Penny here in Indy. She is slowly learning our vocabulary, and just like a Pointer she uses her selective hearing very well!

Dave has a little white shadow with him most everywhere he goes in the house and I swear today she was looking for him around the yard! We've started working on the in-ground fence training. The first few days are the toughest, the nice thing about Penny is she kinda sticks near you in the yard, unlike Thomas who, until he understood the fence, would spend as much time 2 yards down as he did in his own yard!

On our first jog down the Monon on Friday the three of us got lots of compliments! Ok, they got lots of compliments, I was just holding the leashes!

All in all these first few days have been good, I'm still looking forward to when she knows all of our words and is less timid-we see signs of this already-she has growled at Thomas when he looked at her and her bed too long!

Anticipation

Thoughts from a late night in Cedar Rapids ...

On pins and needles, almost akin to going on a first date. "Will she like me?", "What should I say; how should I act?", "I hope her parents don't hate me.". Ahh ... things that go through the mind.

For those of you not in the know, my name is Dave and we will soon be taking Penny into our care and making her one of our own. My wife, Maggie, and I have bantered back and forth about adopting another dog into our clan for some time. I have often questioned whether we be capable of spreading our love equally between two dogs within our new pack? Thomas (our current dog) has been our child for the past 6 years, and we are awaiting our new arrival with some trepidation and anticipation. Thomas isn't the most social dog, but he'll just have to learn and overcome.

The three of us will have a lot to learn and adapt to - we have to, in order to make sure she is welcomed into our pack. We will make sure she is protected with love and grows to be the confident girl she is capable of. Maybe Thomas will even let her help keep the yard free of those mean, evil squirrels and bunnies.

Cheers,

Dave

Penelope Pit Stop

Ben thinks Penny looks like Snoopy when she's sitting or lying down and looks from one thing to the next so quickly that her ears fly up. I didn't see it at first, but now I do. She has Snoopy's intelligent look about her, too.

We went out of town over the weekend and left Penny and most of the other dogs with the world's greatest pet sitter, Gina of Hamsters to Horses . Pen was a good girl for Gina, and it was good for Pen to be cared for by someone else, as I think it helps build her confidence and trust in new people.

Pen - Porchin' and Parkin' It

Pen at Rennick Riverfront Park on the Missouri River in Washington, MO, tonight. She clearly enjoyed lounging in the grass and watching the world go by after our walk.

Pen, Lila, Greta, and Sam on one of the back porches (taken through the screen door).

Today was a good day in the life of Pen...relaxing on the porch, hanging out at the park (where she was such a good girl), and, best of all...a great piece of news in the mail. Her test results from Texas A&M showed perfectly normal pancreatic numbers with the exception of slightly low amylase numbers. So, according to the experts at Texas A&M, she doesn't have EPI after all, and we think it was a grain intolerance all along, which is becoming more and more common among dogs today. She's continuing to do very, very well on her raw diet, and now that she's had a great week on it, we're going to start increasing her meal sizes to help her gain a few more pounds.

Happy Penelope Day!

Possibilities for Pen...

I'm a fiddler - not the kind who can play the stringed instrument but the kind who has to fiddle with things and can't leave things alone. That normally gets me into trouble and leaves me wishing I had left well enough alone. But in this case, I'm blaming it all on the IBR founder and president...

We tried a little experiment on Penny - a raw diet, no Viokase or enzymes. So, after four days on ground turkey, green beans, kale, and okra, what do we have? Perfectly solid stools. Now, to those of you who haven't been following Penny's tale, that may seem like an odd thing to celebrate. But for those who have, and who know about her initial diagnosis of an insufficient pancreas that seemed to indicate she would need medicine with every meal for the rest of her life, this truly is celebratory news.

I'm no vet. My own vet will be the first to tell you that. But IBR's founder and president has likely dealt with more digestive issues in Pointers related to poor diet and neglect than anyone else, and she encouraged trying the raw diet. And I listened. So far - knocking heavily on wood - it's working, and we've been able to cut out the prescription Viokase.

So, what's going on? Well, again, I couldn't even play a vet on TV, but I'm wondering if there isn't a grain intolerance in Pen coupled with a weakened pancreas. While Pen did score an 8 on her TLi test - which measures enzyme reactivity and falls within the healthy range - it's still on the lower side. But going raw and cutting grains out made a dramatic difference overnight. We're going to try beef and chicken; while turkey seems to be working, we want to make sure there aren't any allergy or intolerance issues with the other types of meats. But we're very encouraged by the developments of this past week and cautiously, cautiously hopeful that the right diet, combined with non-prescription supplements including enzymes and probiotics, might hold the key to her overall health.

Today was an example of one of those days I'll use to badger my husband to replace our bulky digital camera, because I would have carried a small one to photograph Pen at a doggy festival. She was such a good girl - shy and a bit reserved but incredibly quiet, well-behaved, and patient and curious with adults, children, and other dogs. I was so proud of our little foster girl - she still has a long road to building her confidence, but she's making great progress.

Test Scores

Our lives are punctuated by test scores. I remember taking a weird test in kindergarten that I later realized was an IQ test. Then there were the spelling tests and the math tests and the science tests I dreaded so much. My score on the all-important driver's license test showed deductions for driving our whale of a Mercury Grand Marquis too slow - yes, too slow - on the road section of the test, and then came what felt like the most important test of my life - the ACT college entrance exam.

Now that I'm older, cholesterol, gum health, and vision tests have become the barometers of my well-being; early in life, it's all about the mental fitness tests, but later in life, our test scores more often reflect our physical fitness - or lack thereof.

I didn't imagine I'd be checking my phone and the answering machine several times each day, waiting for test scores from Texas A&M to determine the health of our foster Pointer's pancreas, but I did. Pen's first test for pancreatic insufficiency was low-cost and fast - a measurement of the impact of the enzymes in her stool according to their ability to dissolve geltain on unexposed X-ray film. The poor results of that test were pretty conclusive, but I wanted more, so we had her blood drawn and sent to Texas A&M, the only lab performing blood-based EPI testing.

A healthy dog's pancreas scores between 5 and 45, and Pen's came back...(drumroll)...8. Her score is low - in the healthy range - but low, but it's high enough that Texas A&M does not consider her to be a dog with clinical exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

So, where do we go now? Well, our vet and I think there are two issues at play here - food allergies and a depressed pancreas. So, we're feeding a hypoallergenic food but cutting back on her enzymes, and I'm happy to report excellent results. So, the good news is that Pen may not need medication for the rest of her life after all and may be fine with good digestive supplements in time. The bad news is that we'll have to do some experimenting to figure out what her food allergy is, whether it's a certain kind of meat, wheat, gluten, or something else. But with today's excellent foods and the success of raw diets, I'm confident we'll get it figured out.

For Whom Would Pen Be Perfect?

Good news on the health front...a weigh-in this week revealed Pen has gained 4 pounds since she was pulled from the shelter. That means her diet and enzyme supplements are working, and she's regaining her health and achieving a proper weight.

Our hearts sank when the preliminary diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) came in; we went back this week to have her blood drawn and sent to Texas A&M University for the more exhaustive EPI test. But assuming it's positive, we're still concerned - is there a forever home for Pen out there somewhere?

The EPI was scary and overwhelming to us at first. But now, about a month into it, we're finding managing it really isn't requiring any more attention than what we give to supplementing the diets of all our animals. My horse gets a vitamin supplement, Ben's gets a joint supplement, and both get feed-through fly control supplements. All our dogs get skin and vitamin supplements, and two of our older females get Proin tablets. So treating Pen really isn't that much different; I crush her dry food with a rubber mallet to make it easier for her to digest, mix in a little water and a teaspoon of enzymes, and let it sit anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight, depending upon what works best for our schedule.

Once we got past the initial fear of dealing with the EPI, it's become routine. And in some strange way, there's something satisfying about the nurturing aspect of it. Ben would be the first to tell you I'm no cook, but the little bit of preparation that goes into her meals is not only fulfilling in a strange way but also makes me feel closer to this sweet little girl.

The type of person or family for whom Pen would be perfect would also be perfect for Pen. If you're the type of person who is devoted and nurturing to your animals and want the same devotion and love from them, Pen would be perfect for you. If you enjoy finding and feeding good diets and paying attention to your animals' well-being, Pen would be perfect for you. If you want a dog that will fill a big part of your life and a dog who will make you the center of their world, Pen is the dog for you.

Pen bonds quickly and strongly; she seeks closeness and companionship; she wants to lay next to you on the couch with her head in your lap. She wants to go jogging and on walks with you; she wants to follow you while you're working in the yard; she wants to lay on the patio with you while you relax or barbecue.

Pen will give all the love, loyalty, affection, and devotion she has to a person who will return the same to her. Special needs dogs usually have a way of loving their people more deeply and completely, and Pen loves deeply and completely with every bit of her now 41 (yay!) pounds.

So close...

Well, we had hope for a bit...a wonderful young couple from our area - who loved Penny, hit it off with her, and understood and were ready to work with her EPI - went through the process to adopt her and then found out he was being sent overseas for work for three weeks out of each of the next three or more months. Her long hours as a CPA combined with his travel convinced them now is not the time to add a new four-legged family member. The unfortunate part is that they were ideal for Penny, but the good part is that we had the opportunity to meet two wonderful, giving, and fun people, and we hope things work out for them and that they're able to bring a dog into their home soon. That will be one lucky dog when the time comes...

Pen is doing well with her EPI, but we're worried her condition might scare potential adopters away from a really great dog. Fortunately, her EPI is responding not only to the expensive Viokase but also to Pancreatin (average cost 60 cents per day) and to raw pancreas (less than 10 cents per day). Administering the enzymes is easy - we mix the enzymes or pancreas in with her food and let it sit for 15-20 minutes before feeding her. That's it.

Somewhere out there is her perfect family - one who will enjoy walking and jogging with her and relaxing with her in the house and cuddling up with her on the couch.

And if that family wants an instant Pointer family, Pen and another of our fosters, Radar, get along beautifully... :)

Penny Puzzle

It's been a while since I have posted to Pen's blog, but it hasn't been for a lack of activity.

While at the veterinary hospital for a full day to be spayed, Pen's vet started to tackle the chronic soft stool issue we had been having with Pen, which was resulting in her inability to gain weight. We initially thought it was her heat cycle, and we then thought it was food allergies. But changes in food made minimal and sometimes no difference, and the soft stools continued after her heat cycle ended.

Fortunately for Pen, our vet, Dr. Hezel of the Pacific Animal Hospital, decided to test Pen's pancreatic health to determine if insufficient production of pancreatic enzymes was resulting in Pen's inability to digest food and therefore diarrhea and weight loss or the inability to gain weight. When the test provided evidence of EPI, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, we were saddened by the diagnosis but relieved to finally have a direction to pursue with her. But the bad news was that one type of the medication used to treat her condition is expensive and could be a life-long commitment with her.

Pen will require either prescription medicine, pancreatin, or raw, natural pancreas with every meal for the future and perhaps for the rest of her life, as well as quality, low-fat food. However, the pancreatin is a low-cost solution, and the natural pancreas is an extremely low-cost, natural, and healthy solution. With proper management, she can live a full and otherwise healthy life, and administering the medication consists merely of mixing it in with her food and letting her food sit 15-20 minutes before feeding. EPI is seen mostly in German Shepherds, but I would encourage those of you dealing with similar issues in your own dogs or your foster dogs to ask your vet about testing for pancreatic health and enzyme production.

Although we're still experimenting with her medication to determine the proper dosage, we're seeing improvements not only in her stools but also in her energy level, weight, and overall happiness. To see her tail, which stayed tucked between her legs for the first several weeks she was here, alive and wagging with joy is a wonderful thing.

Pretty as a Penny

Pen is so good on walks, including our walk down the lane this morning. No pulling, no tugging, no lunging - I could have held the leash with my pinky.

Sleeping Beauty

Penny does more than curl up in sphere chairs with Radar...really, she does. But she's so darn cute when she does it that I can't help but take pictures.

Pointer Yin and Yang

Radar: Look at me - pretty girl, brand-new sphere chair from the Tar-zhay boutique (that's Target for those Pointers who don't speak French)...


Penny: Radar, did you cut the cheese?

A movie of Pen!

Play Time

Pretty Pen

The Pen Blossoms

If I hadn't been here the last three weeks to experience the changes in Penny, I wouldn't believe it. The little female Pointer I picked up from the shelter three weeks ago today was scared, recovering from injuries, and severely underweight. Her tail remained perpetually tucked between her legs, and she approached everything with trepidation.

As I write this, Penny is nudging my hand on the keyboard wanting affection. She has just come in from running around the yard with Radar. She walked over a little while ago, picked up a Nylabone, and happily settled down for a chew. She's becoming a Pointer again - happy, confident, and athletic while remaining sweet, affectionate, and mild in the house. She loves the snow, and she loves the sun. She loves to nap, and she loves to run.

I underestimated the resilience of this little girl, and every day with Penny brings happy surprises.

They're not hyper!

The first question out of many of our friends' and family members' mouths when we tell them about fostering the three birddogs is, "Aren't they hyper?" Our answer is universally, "No."

Our answer was reaffirmed last night as we watched the three Pointers sleep while our Labs and Coonhounds played, roughhoused, barked, and generally created a melee. Wilbur slept on the recliner with Ben while Penny and Radar slept on doggy beds despite the ruckus being created around them. The Pointers are much like greyhounds in that they really just want a soft place to sleep in the house, and if that place is your lap, all the better, as they like to be close to you.

The secret to the Pointers is a good daily run or piece of exercise, even if it's just running and playing in the backyard with their owners or other dogs. It seems as though the Pointers have a reserve of energy that, once burned off - and it doesn't take a great deal, just a good run in the yard or some exercise with their owners - leaves them wanting little more than to sleep and relax in the house. The Labs, however, seem to have a higher sustained level of energy. While they don't really stretch their legs outside in the same way as the Pointers, they're more "on the go" more of the time.

We're finding the Pointers to offer the best of all worlds. They inspire us to get out and exercise ourselves - whether it's a good, long walk, a jog through our fields and woods, or running and playing in the backyard with the other dogs while we work in the yard with them - and then allow us to come inside and relax while they sleep. Our vet was right - if you're looking for trainable, bright, affectionate, sweet-tempered dog who will jog by your side and then sleep on your lap, it's hard to beat a Pointer.

Reflecting on Mysteries

(This post is replicated in the blogs for each of our fosters – our “Hopkinsville Three” – and can be found on Radar's blog at www.ibrradar.blogspot.com and Wilbur’s blog at www.ibrwilbur.blogspot.com as well)

A homeless dog rescued from a shelter often has secrets in its past, and as we begin to develop an understanding of these dogs as their adoptive or foster families, we feel a reflexive need to create a history for the dog based on the little clues we’ve been given. Sometimes the histories are accurate; unfortunately, I think they’re often kinder than the realities these dogs faced before coming into our home.

We know a little of the history of some of the dogs we’ve adopted; Sam, the loyal and loving yellow Lab, was taken to a high-kill shelter as a stray with heartworms, torn and bloody feet, and lacerations from barbed wire. When his “owners” came to pick him up and learned the shelter was requiring them to pay for his heartworm treatment and neuter, they turned on their heels and left Sam behind. Our Bluetick Coonhound, Lila, was similarly taken as a stray to a shelter, and her owner, once he learned she had been spayed while at the shelter, determined she was no longer of any use to him and only wanted his expensive tracking collar back but not Lila. Our simultaneously dignified and goofy elderly Black and Tan Coonhoud, Stella, was owned by a man notorious for hanging his dogs from trees by their collars and beating them for not hunting well. Her damaged trachea and worn front teeth attest to a terrible early life. But each proves to us every day the unmatched qualities of the love an abused or neglected dog has for those who saved it.

The three young Pointers we’ve been fostering for the last week came with their own clues, and I can’t help but imagine what their lives were like before they turned up in a rural animal shelter in January with seemingly bleak prospects for the future.

Wilbur, the adorable and sweet liver and white boy, has birdshot in the very inside bottom of one of his ears. Ironically, giving him the attention he loves most – an ear rub – revealed the healed-over birdshot. Found just after the first of the year – and just after the end of hunting season in an unlikely coincidence – on a farm playing with the farm’s dogs, sweet Wilbur likely didn’t meet his owner’s standards as a hunting dog and was thrown away. At only about a year old, Wilbur may have been given one chance – one season – to prove himself in the field. Had he been as successful as his owner hoped, his owner would have likely come for him. Once Wilbur enters your heart, it’s easy to imagine how confused the affectionate Wilbur must have been when he realized his owner wasn’t coming for him and that he was on his own.

Handsome and stocky Radar, the epitome of the classic-style Pointer, was taken to the shelter as a stray and with a fairly fresh bullet wound in his side. The deep-chested, athletic Radar appears on the outside to be a tough cookie, but within a minute or two of meeting him, it becomes apparent how deeply affectionate, sensitive, and kind he is. I can only imagine Radar, like Wilbur, fell short of someone’s expectations in the hunting field and was taken out to be dumped. When loyal and loving Radar refused to leave his owner deep in the woods or a field somewhere, his owner may have shot him to either kill him or make him run away. Though the wound is healed and new hair covers the wound, a faint scar remains as a reminder of Radar’s near-tragedy.

And then there’s Penelope, the sensitive, sweet, shy girl who may have been too timid to make it as a gundog. Her brief shelter notes indicate she was found – cold, starving, and scared - in a ditch along a busy highway with facial and dental injuries. Was she hit by a car? Was she thrown out of one by her owner? Though her physical injuries are healed, her diminishing but lingering timidity indicates someone injured her far more deeply.

Within the past month or two, these three dogs were abandoned, either shot or hit by or thrown out of a car, living as strays in the middle of winter, and taken to a loud, crowded animal shelter where an average of ten dogs are euthanized every day. In the last week, they were picked up by a stranger, driven nearly three hundred miles, vetted (and neutered in the case of the boys) and asked to live in a house for the first time in their lives – and with six large resident dogs.

And yet, barely more than a week after they arrived at our house, Wilbur, Radar, and Penny have made great strides in their adaptation to becoming beloved house pets. They go to the door when they need to go potty, they are learning how to walk on a leash, they are adapting to regimens, and they have almost figured out the rules of the house.

But more remarkably, they have proven themselves to be beacons of love and forgiveness. After everything they’ve been through in their short lives, they are still unfailingly affectionate, loving, responsive, sensitive, eager to please, and kind. These three young Pointers have proven themselves capable of greater levels of humanity and forgiveness than much of humanity itself.

One mystery remains for Wilbur, Radar, and Penny – who will complete their histories by giving them their forever homes, and who will be fortunate enough to know the love of a dog that has known the worst in people and will be thankful every day for the best in us? Will it be you?

Settling In

Puh-leeaazze?

Portherhouse? Piece of cheese? A lousy biscuit? Anything????

Miss Penelope Pit Stop

Seriously, honey, I don't know how a third Pointer wound up in the truck...

Penelope, or Penny, or Henny Penny, or Penelope Pit Stop, was an unintentional foster. But after the two boys from the Kentucky shelter were loaded and ready to go, the shelter workers brought out yet another Pointer - this one an exquisitely beautiful but timid and frightened female who had been hit by a car on the Pennyrile Parkway (hence her name) and left in the ditch hurt, scared, cold, and wet. She was found and taken to the shelter, where her lacerations were treated and two teeth pulled - miraculously, the only physical injuries she suffered. But from her trembling demeanor, it appeared her injuries were emotional as well, and I decided then and there that she had to come back to St. Louis with me, too.

Well, as it turns out, Miss Penelope is a wonderful girl with a wonderful personality. Since springing her from the shelter a week ago today, she has begun to become more confident. She loves to play with the other dogs and sleep on soft doggy beds; in fact, she loves to nap for a while on one and then move to another for a nap. She is still a bit timid but undeniably sweet and affectionate and loves nothing more than to have her beautiful little head held and rubbed. She's already progressing on her house training very well and is walking wonderfully on a leash. She still isn't terribly fond of going in her crate but does keep it clean once there. She's so gentle and sweet and beautiful that we're fascinated by watching her do the simplest things like pick out her favorite bed of the moment and curl up for a nap.

We've been blessed over the years with the bottomless love and loyalty of dogs who have come from very rough circumstances, and we're confident Penny will prove to be one of those magnificent companions for just the right family or person, and she will reward them with love and companionship for the gift of a wonderful forever home.